The show attracted an average of 98,000 households and peaked at midnight with 155,000 households, according to Maureen C. Quiltner, director of communications for the Philadelphia-based Comcast SportsNet.
During the regular season, “Phillies Postgame Live” averaged 80,000 households.
This was a show that was so enthralling it spent several minutes each on interviews with Chris Wheeler (above, with Marshall Harris) and Dallas Green. And hundreds of thousands of people were watching at midnight. Well done, Phillies fans. Well done.
Yesterday, the Phillies re-hired Tom McCarthy, who worked the Phillies’ radio broadcast from 2001 to 2005 before leaving for the Mets radio job.
McCarthy is a good PBP guy, and he’ll now work three innings of television when Harry is on break. (This means no more Chris Wheeler play-by-play, which is what he’s better at.) McCarthy signed an unprecedented five-year deal with the Phillies, which is two years longer than any deal Harry Kalas has ever signed.
“I always enjoyed working with T-Mac,” Kalas said. “I’m glad he’s back in Philadelphia.”
Kalas is 71, but he’s not heading out the door anytime soon, huzzah, huzzah. I’m still up for just hiring a Harry Kalas impersonator (Joe Conklin?) to do PBP when he retires, but McCarthy is pretty good. I still kinda miss Scott Graham, though, but my guess is he’s not enough of a yes-man to work for the Phillies.
A sharp Phillies nine beat a somnambulant Mets club, 10-6, fueled by Greg Dobbs’ first career grand slam and, perhaps, the constant derision of Rollins by the 52,779 at Shea.
The Phillies are now 3 1/2 games back of the Mets. After the exciting four-game sweep of the Mets last month, the Phillies were only 2 games back of the Mets. So despite winning eight in a row from the New York nine, the Phils are over three games back, and remain 1 1/2 back in the Wild Card. Phillies baseball!
The Mets helped out yesterday by committing six errors, the most hilarious of which is pictured. The Phillies now head to St. Louis for a three-game set against the Cardinals, who will probably sweep the series with an aggregate score of 45-0.
Two of the games over the weekend were afternoon tilts on Philly 57. This is an advantage for Phillies fans, as they get to hear Chris Wheeler read hilarious CW previews.
A night after losing game 10,001 to the Dodgers to drop back to .500, the Phillies went on an offensive explosion again, crushing LA, 15-3. Even Real Deal Durbin, who got his first major league win, had three hits in the easy victory.
The loss was absorbed by Dodgers pitcher Mark Hendrickson, who you may remember as the 76ers second-round pick in 1996. If I ever invent a time machine, I’m going back in time and placing a bet in ‘96: The 76ers second-round pick this year will one day pitch against the Phillies, with Mike LIeberthal as catcher. I could probably get pretty good odds. A billion to one, maybe?
Ryan Howard hit a pair of homers last night, and Chase Utley had 3 RBI, upping his league-leading total to 79. But the real story was Phillies announcer Chris Wheeler, who lost his voice somehow. Here’s his call of Howard’s first homer. I cannot stop laughing about the word “gone” in this clip.
As you may have gathered from the photo of the Phillie Phanatic attacking President Bush in the header, it’s the start of baseball season today. Naturally, everyone’s excited, because we all know the Phils are going to start 4-14 and nobody will care anymore.
And with fan interest at the highest it’s been since, uh, since I can remember, the Phillies have decided to reward fans by giving them what they want: More cowbell Wheeler.
The trio will broadcast the first three and last three innings on television. Wheeler will handle play-by-play in the middle three innings, with [ex-Phillie Gary] Matthews as the analyst.
[Harry] Kalas will continue to call the fourth inning on radio. Scott Franzke and Larry Andersen will work exclusively on radio.
• If you’re planning on having some sweaty, condom-free sex on Tuesday night, then do the five branches Bucks County Planned Parenthood have a deal for you! The ‘Hood will be giving out free Plan B on Wednesday morning, so you can look just as serene as the official model for the drug. [Bucks County Courier Times]
• With Scott Graham gone in the Phillies’ booth next year — who will do Graham Slam commercials? — the Phils have added a new analyst: None other than Gary Matthews! Welcome back, Sarge! (Apparently I’m the only one who will miss Scott Graham, though. I thought he had really improved over the past few seasons.) Wheels is still around, so the Chris Wheeler Glossary will certainly be expanding. [Beerleaguer]
• Jerry Mondesire, head of the NAACP in Philly, says Jonathan Saidel dropped out of the mayor’s race due to Bob Brady. Then again, he also said that Donovan McNabb was a race traitor or something for not running the ball more, so we all know how accurate he is. [KYW 1060]
• Why are men bigger than women? Why, Faye Flam reports, men are violent assholes, that’s why. However, men, be glad you’re not a deep-sea angler fish, where the woman is 500k times heavier than the man. I bet both genders of that fish have issues. [Inquirer]
• Pat Croce has been named Wing Bowl Commissioner. He’ll be in charge of making sure all the models (”models”) 610 WIP hires are C-cup or better. [Inquirer]
Ba Hahaha HeHeHe HA - I think your (largely unfunny) baseball-related story is amusing
He Has Fun Out There - He’s awful; He’s Tomas Perez
Does He Throw A Split? - That pitch wasn’t a fastball
First Ball Fastball, Middle-in - Any pitch that someone can hit
How Important Was…? - I think that was important, do you agree? (usage: on the pre-game manager’s show, “Charlie, how important was that game winning home run by Utley last night?”)
LA… - Larry Andersen; former junkballing major league reliever and resident humorist (usage includes: “LA - how important is strike one?” — Chris wishes LA to spin the viewers a colorful yarn about the perils of getting behind in the count. Or, he just wants to get on our nerves and talk down to us.)
There’s Our Old Friend (insert former Phillies anything) - He never liked me
And there’s a ton more. Check it out, and may all your first ball fastballs be middle in. (Although they always are.)
• The readers wrote in, and Faye Flam responded with more G-spot goodness! And, yes, the article contains this sentence: “If the vagina is the Amtrak’s Northeast corridor, which starts in Washington, tell your man to stop shooting straight for Springfield, Mass., and try spending more time in Philly.” Even sex is all about Philly right now! [Inky]
• And, naturally, NBC has shut down all the sites hosting the Natalie Portman gangster rap. They have it on their own site, though, but it’s not working for me. Erhm. [NBC.com]
One of the best things about the Internet, is that, while the local paper of record is 
